


A Dance To Remember

by arcanathirst



Series: Looking for Home [4]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Fluff, Masquerade (The Arcana), Romance, unspecified AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 08:18:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16572971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanathirst/pseuds/arcanathirst
Summary: It's Mine's first Masquerade, and everything is overwhelming for this little country bumpkin. Until they chance upon a mysterious stranger...





	A Dance To Remember

**Author's Note:**

> Featuring nanithefxck's (Tumblr) fan apprentice, Hattori! I couldn't draw our children dancing, so I decided to write it instead

The night is cool when Mine passes through the palace gates. It is the night of the Masquerade and this is their first time attending the gala event.

Being the biggest party of the year, the palace is swarming with people and Mine wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out the entire city was here right now. They tug nervously at their costume, eyes wandering for a secluded place to rest for a moment.

They just need a moment to breathe. That was it.

They spy a path in the gardens where the crowds are thinning. Gathering their skirts in their hands, they march over, heart hammering in their chest as they jostle through the throng of people, mumbling apologies every step of the way.

The path itself is less crowded, but it leads right to where the parade floats are passing by, and this part of the garden is even more packed.

A few people push past Mine, and they squeal, flattening themself against a nearby hedge.

They raise a hand to tug at their fringe, only to stop at the last second: they had spent hours styling their own hair and they didn’t want to ruin it five minutes into the Masquerade.

Turning on their heel, they decide to try their luck elsewhere.

Mine wishes their relatives could have been here, the ones they were currently staying with during their visit to Vesuvia. But their family was worried over their pet chinchilla and insisted on staying in for tonight. After all, the Masquerade would be going on for a while, and they could attend any other night.

If only Mine had been a little more patient, they wouldn’t have to attend all by themself. But they had been so excited to see Vesuvia’s great Masquerade, to visit the palace.

At last, they find themself inside the palace, in a large hall where people were carrying animal statuettes made of crystal to their tables. Upon closer inspection, there is food and drink in the statuettes, though it isn’t very clear what they are.

Mine cooes. How pretty.

They go to the large table where the statuettes are arranged in dozens upon dozens of rows. There are all kinds of animals in various shapes and sizes. One of the snake statuettes is the size of Mine’s head, while a wolf statuette would fit snugly in their palm.

They gaze at the statuettes; which to take first? Maybe their favorite animal? But Mine had many favorite animals… This was going to take a while.

“Can’t decide?”

Mine turns to see a slender figure beside them, her eyes regarding the statuettes with a dreamy look. Her costume is raccoon-themed and it suits her, especially the glittery mask she has on.

Hoping their own mask hid the rising heat to their cheeks, Mine shakes their head.

The person’s laugh is musical. She casts a glance to Mine, who immediately darts their eyes down. “Hmm, what would suit you, pretty little butterfly? No butterflies, pity….”

She reaches out and plucks a statuette from the pile. It’s a tapir.

“Maybe this? It’s as cute as you are.” She places the tapir in Mine’s hands with a kind smile.

“Oh, oh, wow, th-thank you!” The last words come out too loud and Mine covers their mouth. “Um, er–”

But the stranger is gone, lost in the crowd.

Mine feels a pang of disappointment, but decides to find a spot to eat, or maybe drink, the contents of the tapir.

They manage to find a table in the corner, one with only two other people. Mine politely asks to sit and the two wave at them to sit down, eyes not leaving each other as both of them continue talking.

Mine smiles. What an adorable couple.

They unscrew the tapir’s head and shake it. It sounded like water. A drink? Then again, it could be a broth.

Tilting their head up, they down the tapir’s insides.

Their eyes widen with delight. Lychee! Cold lychee, with the little fruits too. How rare to find this in Vesuvia of all places. Mine could only ever drink this when they returned home to Balayu for the holidays.

Had that person picked the tapir on purpose?

No, it couldn’t be. The contents of the statuettes could barely be seen, and how could she have known that cold lychee was Mine’s favorite drink?

But if that was the case, wasn’t it sort of romantic? Almost like fate.

The drink seemed to have soothed Mine’s nerves, because the crowd didn’t seem so bad anymore. They stand up, leaving the little tapir behind, and wanders off to see more of the palace.

In another room where glitter rains down from the ceiling and music seems to be coming from thin air, people are dancing and singing.

Mine grins, eyes shining. What was a Masquerade without a dance?

Asking a stranger to dance, a bold but exciting prospect. They had never danced with a complete stranger, but nights like this were for such dalliances, weren’t they?

They move to the thick of the crowd, searching for a potential partner. Left and right, people are either being swept off their feet or doing the sweeping, loud laughter and delighted exclamations everywhere.

“Sorry!” Mine says, feeling themself bumping into someone. They turn to see if the other person is alright, and they gape as they take in the raccoon-themed costume. It’s the stranger from before.

“Uh–” But the stranger is already gone, her small stature allowing her to easily duck into the crowd.

Oh no, Mine was not losing her this time.

Gripping their skirts, they push past people, apologizing the entire way. At the edge of the crowd, they catch a glimpse of that sparkly raccoon mask, as the stranger prepares to climb the stairs and leave the room.

“Wait!” they call out, their voice ringing around the hall.

Mine does not notice the stares as they rush to the stairs; the stranger has stopped and she’s looking at them.

“Um, uh…” Mine takes a deep breath and extends a hand. “Would you like to dance with me, Miss, er, Raccoon?”

“Hattori,” she smiles, taking Mine’s hand. “And I would love to, butterfly.”

“Mine,” they introduce.

“A cute name for a cute person,” she chuckles, as the two of them turn to descend the stairs.

Below, there are cheers and whistles at the sight of the couple on the stairs. “Congrats!” someone shouts.

Mine’s face feels like it’s on fire, while Hattori simply laughs. The crowd parts slightly for the two of them to pass.

“Shall we?” Hattori asks.

Mine nods, beaming. Without another word, the two of them start to dance, spinning and twirling amidst the falling glitter and music.

Even for the Masquerade, it is a magical night for Mine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I ship Mine with soooo many ppl lmao (it's OK tho bc Mine's a polyamorous ho). If any of you are interested in shipping/friendship with Mine, hmu any time


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